Fast-setting, expandable, organic spray foams are used in the pipeline industry to support buried pipelines while filling the void between the pipeline and the trench wall. These foams are employed partly because they offer rapid expansion, corresponding rapid stiffening to conform to the pipe, provide vertical support and resist lateral movement of the pipeline.
Ever since the days of the industrial revolution, mankind has sought to develop new techniques that would enable machines to do more and more of the work. In today's industrial economy you have entire manufacturing factories where robotic machines perform a large percentage of the operations.
The modern day military and law enforcement of the world want in on this trend and they are spending billions of dollars on developing robotic systems. There are all types of flying, crawling, driving, slithering, rolling, walking or running like a man or animal robotic systems.
Available robots are designed to do some aspects of a job that are better or safer than a soldier or police officer could do. Some are bullet proof, explosion proof, fire proof, can kill, and can remotely return valuable intelligence. Some robots have autonomous capabilities, but most of these robotic systems are controlled by a human being: a controller that is in a safe, remote location. That location might be behind local cover or it might be in a control room half way around the world. Future warfare and police actions are often the subject of speculation in a Hollywood movie as robots are tasked to fight and kill both humans and other robots.